Elevator safety device.



Y HLW. MCNAUGHT. BLEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE.

3 BHEETS-SHEBT 1.

Hol/Ly W.

@Wemag/la.

1ML: [wams Fares: co

H. W. MQNAUGHT. ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE.4 PPLIGATION FILED JAN. 177,l1910.

Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.`

@vita/wana WLMI/10mi A WW( l emo C0., WASHINGTON. D C

H. W. MGNAUGHT. ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE. APPLIOATION FILED JAN.17, 1910.

Patented Sept. 6, f1910.

m w. Hl,

rn: mmm.; PETERS cn., wAsmNaroN, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY W. McNAUGI-IT, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR. TO ELEVATOR'SAFETY` EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION 0FINDIANA.

ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY W. MCNAUGHT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and 1 State ofIndiana, liave invented a certain new and useful Elevator Safety Device,of which the following is a specification.

The object of my present invention is to produce an apparatus by meansof wh'ich the gates of an elevator shall be prevented from being openedexcept when the elevator car is at the level of a floor, and also bywhich so long as the door is open the elevator car shall be preventedfrom being operated to ascend or descend.

The apparatus in question will be first fully described and the novelfeatures thereof then pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof,and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts, Figurel is a. view of a fragment of an elevator car together with afragmentary section of the adjacent portion of the building,illustrating the arrangement of my improved apparatus when usedtherewith; Fig. 2 an elevation of an elevator gate as seen from theinterior of the elevator shaft, together with fragments of adjacentportions of the building; Fig. 3 a view, on an enlarged scale in partlike Fig. 2, but including also fragments of the elevator car carryingthe mechanism relating to my invention; Fig. 4 a detail view on a stillfurther enlarged scale of the mechanism above the door of the elevator;Fig. 5 a detail view of the mechanism at the bottom of an elevator-dooropening and the mechanism on the elevator car adapted to operate inconnection therewith, some portions being broken away and other portionsbeing shown in section to illustrate the construction more clearly; Fig.G a side elevation of the two strikes at the lower corner of theelevator car, and of the locking levers at a door opening; Fig. 7 adetail elevation as seen when looking in the direction indicated by thearrows from the broken line 7 7 in Figs. 3 and 6; Fig. 8 a top or planview as seen Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 17, 1910.

Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

Serial No. 538,387.

when looking downwardly from the broken line 8 S above Fig. 6; Fig. 9 asectional elevation of the mechanism within the elevator car whichoperates in connection with the ordinary elevator control lever; as seenwhen looking in the direction indicated by the arrows from the brokenline 9 9 in Fig. l0; Fig. 10 a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 9with the cover of the casing which contains the mechanism removed so asto show the working parts, and Fig. 1l a transverse sectional view on anenlarged scale at the point indicated by the broken line-11 11 in Fig.9.

The elevator car 2l is or may be of any ordinary construction andarrangement, and is designed to be placed in an elevator shaft, where itis caused to ascend and descend by any ordinary or desired means.IVithin said elevator car, convenient to the hand of the operator, isthe ordinary control lever 22 by means of which the driving mechanism ofthe elevator is caused to operate, and vwhich is designed to be shiftedfrom time to time, accordinO to the service desired, to ascending,descending and neutral positions, respectively. As the parts so farmentioned are or may be of any ordinary or desired form or character,and form no part of my present invention, they will not be furtherdescribed herein, except incidentally in describing the said invention.

Within the car, secured to its wall, just behind the control lever 22,is a casing 31 containing two levers 32 and 33 carrying movable detentsor pins 34C and 35, one on either side of the control lever 22, andwhich are adapted to be projected into the path of said control leverand thus prevent the latter from moving beyond them when so projected;but which, when withdrawn, are out of the path of the control lever sothat it is permitted to move freely in the ordinary manner. These levers32 and 33 are pivotally mounted on a stud 36 in casing 31, and have pins32 and 33 passing through cam slots in a sliding block 37. Said block 37is arranged to be moved back and forth in casing 31, and thus to projectand withdraw detents 34 and The means for moving the block 37 consistsof a pin 38 extending down through the bottom of the casing to which theother mechanism is connected as will be presently described.

Secured to the frame of the building within the elevator well, and neareach floor level, is a locking and releasing device controlled in partby the operation of the doors to the elevator wells, at the severalfloors respectively. lThis device embodies a frame portion 41 and anotched sector 42 attached thereto by pivot bolt 43, said sector havingat its upper' end a contact point 44, which is preferably in the form ofan anti-friction roller, and which is adapted to engage with a strike(presently to be described) on the elevator car, as said elevator earpasses up and down. The sector 42 constitutes also a bell-crank lever,the contact point 44 being one extremity thereof and a pull rod 51 beingattached to the other eX- tremity, as will be presently described. thenthe combined bell-crank lever and notched sector 42 is held upwardly bythe pull rod 51, the contact point 44 projects into the path of ayieldingly-mounted strike on the elevator car. Said part 42 is, however,adapted to be held out of contact with said strike, and the partscontrolled thereby thus held from operation, by means of a pawl 46carried by rock-shaft 47. Said rock shaft is adapted to be operated by aswinging arm 48 having a contact point 49 arranged to come in contactwith a second rigidly-mounted strike carried by the elevator ear, aswill be presently described. Contact point 49, like contact point 44, ispreferably in the form of an anti-friction roller.

Pull rod 51 runs upwardly to a bell-crank lever 52, preferably containedwithin a casing 53, at a point just above the level of the top of theelevator door. Another pull rod 54 attached to the other arm ofbell-crank lever 52 runs at right angles with pull rod 51, and isattached at the other end to a forked member 55 pivoted at 56 in aboxlike easing 57. The connection between pull rod 54 and member 55 isby means of a stud 55 extending out through an arc-shaped slot in oneside of casing 57, concentric with y pivot 56.

rlhe doors 61 to the elevator are mounted to move back and forth in anyordinary and well known manner. In the drawing such a door is shown ashung on a track 62 by means of hangers 63. Extending up from the top ofthe door is an arm 64 preferably bifurcated at its upper end) carryingan anti-friction roller 65 which engages with the forked end of memberAs will be readily seen, therefore, the moving of the door back andforth will swing member 55 on its pivot 56, and, through pull rod 54bell-crank lever 52 and pull rod 51, will move the combinedbell-crank-lever and notched sector 42 on pivot 43, except that themovement of pull rod 51 cannot be upward when pawl 46 is in engagementwith the teeth of said part 42, as it is then locked against movement inthat direction, as already explained.

Secured to the lower portion of the elevator cage are two strikes, oneof which, 71, is rigidly mounted, and the other of which, 72, isyieldingly mounted on reciprocating rods 73 and 74, as is best shown inFig. These rods 73 and 74 are connected at their inner ends by means ofbell-crank levers 75 and 76 with a pull rod 77, the two bell-cranklevers being connected together by a link 78 by means of which they arecaused to operate together, and by means of which, also, the strike 72is caused to move substantially uniformly as a whole when thecorresponding part comes in contact with it at one end, instead of oneend swinging' ahead of the other, as would otherwise be the case. Thatis, the strike 72 and the link 78 maintain a substantially parallelrelation at all times.

At its upper end rod 77 is connected to a bell-crank lever 81 mountedpreferably in an inclosing casing 82, and normally held upwardly by aspring 83. From the other arm of the bell-crank lever 81 a rod 84 runsto and connects with the stud 38. The operation is, therefore, when thestrike 72 is pressed inward by the piece with which it comes in contact,that the block 37 is moved longitudinally of casing 31, operating levers32 and 33, and, through said levers projecting detents 34 and 35 outinto the path of control lever 22, thus limiting the movement of saidcontrol lever to the distance between the said two detents. Thisdistance being shorter than the effective movement of the control lever,the lever is thereby held to neutral position, and the throwing of it toa position which will cause the elevator car to move is thereby renderedimpossible so long as the strike 72 is held in to its inner position,which it always is so long as the elevator door remains open. ll/Thenthe door to the door-opening' opposite which the elevator car is at thetime is closed, the contact piece which holds the strike 72 inwardly isreleased, and the action of spring 83 will restore the parts to theirnormal position, withdrawing the detente 34 and 35 from the path of thecontrol lever 22, thus enabling the operator to manipulate said leverand run the car in the ordinary manner. The

movement in question cannot, however, be given to these parts so long asthe elevator door remains open, because, in such case, the bell-cranklever and sector 42 have been swung upwardly and inwardly by the actionof forked member 55 operating through the pull rods and bell-cranklevers as described. It should be here remarked that the lower end ofthe segment shaped slot in casing 57 is below the center of pivot 56, sothat the parts when they reach the position in question are securelylocked against the eect of any direct pull. The shutting of the door,however, of course operates through forked member 55 to throw the member42 to the position which permits the disengagement of contact point 44with strike 7 2, and the consequent withdrawal of detents 34 and 35 bythe pull of spring 83.

The features so far described, constitute the means by which it isrendered impossible for the elevator car to be operated to ascend ordescend so long as the elevator door is open. The same means, inconjunction with strike 71, constitute the means by which the opening ofthe door is rendered impossible except when the elevator car is at afloor level.

As heretofore described lever arm 48 on rock shaft 47 carries a pawl 46which is adapted to engage with the teeth on sector 42, and which is forthis purpose a ratchet. A spring 50 operates to hold the pawl intoengagement with the ratchet except when forcibly disengaged. The spring50 is shown as coiled about the rock shaft 47, and having one armattached to frame 41 and the other to lever arm 4S, so that the pawl isheld thereby into engagement with the ratchet. Vhen, however, strike 71on the elevator car comes against contact point 49 on arm 48, the forceof the spring is overcome, rock shaft 47 is rocked in its bearings, andpawl 46 is raised out of engagement with the ratchet-faced sector 42,leaving the same free to swing on its pivot as may be desired. It isthen, and only then, that the operator, by applying force to the door 61can move it to the open position, as at all other times sector 4E),being locked against movement, pull rod 51 and the parts attachedthereto are prevented from upward movement. As the strike 71 only comesin contact with contact point 49 at the time when the elevator car is ata floor level, the result is that the door cannot possibly be openedwhen the elevator car is in any other position.

It will therefore be seen my apparatus constitutes a complete safetyattachment for elevators, insuring both that the doors shall remainclosed and locked at all times except when the elevator car is at thefloor level, and that the elevator car shall remain at the floor level,without possibility of being caused to ascend or descend, until the doorto the elevator opening on the floor in question is closed.

Having thus fully described my said in vention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with an elevator car, the shaft within which said caroperates having door openings at the respective floors of the buildingwhich the car passes and doors to said ldoor openings, of two strikes onsaid elevator car, one fixed and the other yielding, a device secured tothe building within the elevator shaft near each floor past which thestrikes on the elevator car will travel as it ascends and descends, onemember of said device having connections extending to alongside the pathof the elevator door in opening and closing, said connections, an arm onthe elevator door adapted to engage with said connections as the door isopened and closed and thus pull upon a member of the iirst mentioneddevice, a locking member in said first mentioned device adapted in theabsence of operating means to lock said device against the movementwhich results when the door is opened, an arm controlling said lockingdevice which extends into the path of one of the strikes on the elevatorcar, the first named member having a contact point which extends intothe path of the yieldable strike extending to the vicinity of thecontrol lever in the elevator car, said control lever, and movabledetents arranged alongside of said control lever and adapted to beprojected into and vithdrawn from the path of said control ever.

v2. The combination, with an elevator car, the controller in said car,the shaft within which the car operates, and the doors to said elevatorshaft, of a strike yieldingly mounted on the car, a lock projectableinto the path of movement of the car controller to limit the movementthereof, connections between said lock and said strike, a lever mountedadjacent the shaft doorway and adapted to engage said strike to move thesame, intermediate connections between the door of said doorway and saidlever whereby movement of the door from and to its closed position willmove said lever, a lock movably engaging said lever to restrain themovement of the lever and thereby restrain the opening movement of thedoor, an operating member for said lock projected into the shaft, and astrike carried by the car in position to engage said operating lever andretract the lock only when the first mentioned strike is in position tobe actuated by the lever.

3. In a safety attachment for elevators, a locking device comprising aframe, a' pivoted ratchet-faced sector, a rock-shaft mounted adjacent tosaid sector carrying a paWl which engages With said ratchet-face at oneend and an arm at the other end, a spring adapted to normally hold thepawl into engagement with the ratchet-faced sector, conneetions operatedby the elevator door arranged to move said sector-shaped rack when thepaWl is disengaged, and means carried by the elevator car fordisengaging said pawl.

In Witness whereof, I, have hereunto set my hand and seal atIndianapolis, Indiana, this twenty-ninth day of December, A. D. onethousand nine hundred and nine.

HARRY W. MONAUGHT. [a 5.]

Witnesses:

CHESTER BRADFORD, THOMAS W. MCMEANS.

